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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chair · field · cell · cabinet · face · rock · sharp · bass

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. bass — the fish
  5. field — for sport
  6. face — to point toward
  7. sharp — clever
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. field — farmland
  11. cell — a phone
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. chair — a leader
  15. bass — low music
  16. rock — a stone
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to confront
  21. rock — music
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. field — a subject

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com